USA Football league commissioner members are eligible to attend State Forum events. Sign up for your free membership today!
USA Football's innovative State Leadership Forums are continuing to draw rave reviews, as youth football commissioners come together to share their best practices and strengthen the game of football at the youth level.
After the April 4 event at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, 32 of the scheduled 36 forums for 2009 have now been completed. USA Football hosted approximately 700 youth football commissioners this year, representing roughly 802,900 players.
"I thought the (Louisiana) forum was very informative and it fit in to where we are with restructuring our league," said Keith J. Wright, deputy director of the New Orleans Recreational Department. "After Katrina we lost people, so we have a new crop we are trying to add in, and we've mandated the USA Football coaching education program."
State Forums cover topics including fundraising, marketing a league to both the public and to parents, attracting kids to the league and sportsmanship.
"I love being able to share my ideas and hear ideas from other groups," said Tom Goodwin, commissioner of North Carolina's Consolidated Football Federation. "I liked to hear the fundraising ideas that we all shared and then some of the new things that are coming out of USA Football - the Player Academies, the updates to the Web site, those kinds of items."
Goodwin, a USA Football league commissioner member, also pointed out the State Forum discussion on a national rulebook. While Goodwin's league itself is a division of Pop Warner, he felt that a national set of rules for new and independent leagues and recreational leagues would be a great thing for the sport.
"I enjoyed the discussion about the rules, and the concept of having a national standard of rules, I think that's a tremendous idea," said Wright, a resident of New Orleans and first time State Forum attendee. "It allows the flexibilities for teams to play in other areas. We have those issues here, even if we go down the road to Baton Rouge, the weight limit and age limit are completely different."
USA Football also makes sure to address the items offered to all leagues at each State Forum. Coaching and officiating programs are available, as is a background screening process to ensure all league volunteers are qualified to work with youth players.
The State Forums have also been used to select delegates for the upcoming NFL Youth Summit on July 29-30 in Canton, Ohio. One delegate from each forum is invited to attend by USA Football (both Wright and Goodwin were selected from their forums), and they will share their league and forum experiences with other commissioners from across the country.
"I look forward to exchanging ideas with other youth football administrators," said Goodwin, who enters his 11th season of volunteer service with the Consolidated Football Federation, which is composed of more than 100 teams. "It will be exciting to improve youth football across the country as well as experience the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton."
